


Welcome Home

by rowrowrowthatsme



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Amnesia, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, M/M, Post-Canon, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:35:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27611462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rowrowrowthatsme/pseuds/rowrowrowthatsme
Summary: He tried to remember, but he kept coming up blank. In fact, he kept coming up blank on… everything. He knew his name was Aslan Jade Callenreese, but he went by Ash. He grew up in Cape Cod. His half-brother Griffin was in the military. He knew he was 18 years old. But when he tried to remember anything from the past few years, anything at all, there was nothing.As his brain gradually became more alert, Ash tried to figure how he knew he was 18 but didn’t seem to have any memories past age 8. The only thing that seemed out of place, that wasn’t from his childhood yet was still in his brain, was one word that kept swirling through his mind.Izumo.Basically, a medically-inaccurate fic about if Ash woke up in the hospital after the last episode with amnesia
Relationships: Ash Lynx/Okumura Eiji
Comments: 10
Kudos: 99





	Welcome Home

**Author's Note:**

> This is a self-indulgent fic because I finally watched Banana Fish and the ending has had me messed up for days. So I fixed it :) I've been doing this instead of homework, so rip grad school but I do have my priorities

The repetitive beep of a machine. The smell of bleach. The harsh fluorescent light penetrating his eyelids.

These were the first things Ash noticed as he slowly floated back to consciousness. His brain felt foggy and sluggish, unable to determine where he was or what had happened or… much of anything, really.

He went through a mental checklist of his state. Wiggling his fingers and toes, scrunching his face, and moving his incredibly stiff limbs just a few millimeters all took considerable effort.

Ash forced his eyes open, blinking rapidly in an attempt to adjust to the sudden brightness. After a few moments, he was able to check his surroundings.

A window to his right. An open door to his left. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all slightly different shades of white. He noticed the blankets over his body, the bed, the machine beeping by his bedside, and the nearly empty bag of fluids hanging to his left and connected to the IV in his hand by a clear tube.

A hospital.

But why was he here? He tried to remember, but he kept coming up blank. In fact, he kept coming up blank on… everything. He knew his name was Aslan Jade Callenreese, but he went by Ash. He grew up in Cape Cod. His half-brother Griffin was in the military. He knew he was 18 years old. But when he tried to remember anything from the past few years, anything at all, there was nothing.

As his brain gradually became more alert, Ash tried to figure how he knew he was 18 but didn’t seem to have any memories past age 8. The only thing that seemed out of place, that wasn’t from his childhood yet was still in his brain, was one word that kept swirling through his mind.

Izumo.

He wasn’t sure what it meant, or why he couldn’t stop thinking about it, but the word made his heart ache.

His thoughts were interrupted by a woman in purple scrubs entering through the door and walking towards him.

She didn’t even glance at him, instead going straight to the IV and switching the fluids for a fresh bag.

“Excuse me,” Ash tried, voice rough and barely audible from disuse. The nurse, as Ash learned from her ID badge, startled so badly she dropped the empty bag to the floor.

“Oh my goodness, you’re awake,” she gasped before quickly trying to regain her composure. “I’m sorry, that was— unprofessional. I’m your nurse, Beth. You’re at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan. You’ve been unconscious for about two weeks and- well, actually, I should go get your doctor to explain. I’ll be right back.”

The young nurse bent down to retrieve the fallen bag before scurrying out the door.

With this new information, Ash began to work through what this meant. He was in New York City. Somehow, that felt right even if he couldn’t remember ever going to New York apart from the time Griffin took him to the city for his 5th birthday. She said he had been here for two weeks, but that didn’t account for the years of memories that seemed to be missing.

‘Alright, well, the only explanation for all this would be amnesia. Presumably from whatever put me in the hospital,’ Ash speculated, thinking through different scenarios and possibilities.

After a few minutes, a middle-aged woman in a white coat and scrubs knocked on the open door before stepping inside. The woman, clearly a doctor, gave Ash a smile as she made her way to his bedside.

“Hi there, my name is Dr. Bennich. I understand you just woke up a short time ago, how are you feeling?” She asked, taking a second to note his stats on the machine next to him before focusing on Ash.

“Alright, but what happened? Why am I here?” He demanded, beginning to lose patience with his total lack of knowledge.

Dr. Bennich’s expression flashed surprise for a split second before returning to neutral. If Ash had blinked, he would have missed it. But he didn’t.

“It’s understandable that you may not remember after experiencing a trauma and being in a coma. You may regain the memory of the incident with time, or you may not. But I’ll order some scans just to make sure you haven’t suffered any brain injury,” she explained, making a note on her clipboard. “As for what happened, two weeks ago you were brought into the ER with a stab wound to your abdomen and severe blood loss. A staff member at the New York Public Library had found you asleep at one of the tables when they were closing, but when they tried to wake you they found you were passed out and called 911. The wound was quite deep and there was some damage to your liver, but we performed surgery and everything went well. The most concerning issue was the blood loss. To be honest, it was pretty touch-and-go for a while.”

Ash drank in all the information, hoping that something she said would trigger a memory or even a familiar feeling, but there was nothing.

“Actually, I’m hoping you can give me some information, too,” She continued, bringing Ash’s attention back to her. “You didn’t have any ID on you, and the police haven’t been able to match you with any missing persons cases. They thought they might’ve had a lead at one point, but… it turned out that person had passed away recently. Anyway, I’m wondering if you could tell me your name, date of birth, and maybe an emergency contact? There must be someone out there who is very worried about you.”

Ash paused at this. He wasn’t sure why, but his instincts told him to lie. Giving his real name felt like a dangerous move.

“Griffin Reese. August 12th, 2000. I…” he paused for a moment, choosing his next words carefully. He didn’t think admitting to having forgotten a lot more than just the events that placed him here was a good idea just yet. “I don’t have an emergency contact.”

Dr. Bennich looked up in surprise. “You don’t have one? It could be anyone, a family member, a friend… or is there someone you would like to contact who would be worried having not seen you for a couple weeks? A coworker or a neighbor, perhaps?” She continued to press, clearly wanting some sort of answer.

“There’s nobody like that,” Ash finally snapped, glaring at the doctor. She seemed to get the message, probably assuming him to be a runaway or homeless (which for all Ash knew, she may be right).

“Alright. Well, a couple of police officers are on their way to take your statement. We’re required by law to notify them whenever a stabbing victim comes in. I’ll explain to them that you don’t currently have any memories of the incident and that that’s not uncommon, but they’ll probably still want to talk with you. Your wound has healed quite nicely, so I see no reason you can’t be released in the morning if your scans come back clean,” Dr. Bennich explained briskly. As if it were an afterthought, she added, “Do you have any questions for me?”

Ash shook his head sharply. He was more than ready to leave now, and the last thing he wanted to do was talk to police officers.

“Someone will be here to take you for a CT scan in a bit, let the nurses know if you need anything. Take care, then,” She smiled before turning to make her way out of the room.

“Wait,” Ash called, prompting the doctor to turn around in the doorway. “Where are my clothes?”

“Oh, I’ll have one of the nurses bring your belongings. And a new shirt, the EMTs had to cut off your old one.” She gave him a look as if to ask if there was anything else, but he just nodded and turned his gaze towards the window in reply.

* * *

When the nurse brought his clothes, she explained that he hadn’t had any other belongings (“probably because you were mugged,” she had reasoned) except for a letter he had been clutching, but that the letter had unfortunately been lost in the chaos of the ER. Ash thanked her and headed to the bathroom to change into his clothes as soon as she left. He was not sticking around to talk to any cops or wait for someone to slap him with a bill, so instead, he snuck out of the hospital with ease and headed towards the only clue he had: the New York Public Library.

Although his head couldn’t remember, his body clearly knew these streets, and Ash was able to navigate the city with no problems. It didn’t take long for him to arrive, but nothing was triggering any memories. So, he headed inside to do some research on amnesia. And the one word he couldn’t seem to get out of his head: Izumo.

After a couple of hours, Ash had some answers. His amnesia was most likely caused by trauma or a lack of oxygen to his brain due to blood loss. But it didn’t really matter, his memories would either come back with time or they wouldn’t. He had also found some information about him online, including articles reporting his death and criminal history. He only acknowledged these to an extent, uncertain of their accuracy seeing as they were wrong about him being dead after all.

Further research (accessed legally or otherwise) turned up a death certificate for his brother and some dark-web videos of himself that promptly ended his research.

Ash decided to turn his attention to the other mystery. A number of things came up when he searched for Izumo, including a city in Japan, a type of ship, and a character from Naruto. He decided to focus on the city since that seemed the most relevant. After an hour of looking through photos of shrines and mountains and beaches, Ash was no closer to having an answer. But he did find himself longing to go to this far off city for reasons he couldn’t identify.

As the library was nearing its closing time, Ash slipped back onto the cold, dark streets. It had begun snowing and the sun had set while he had been inside. But now he was confronted with the fact that he had nowhere to go. He took a deep breath, taking in the frigid winter air, the pollution from the vehicles driving by, and the unappealing yet familiar smell of the city. Ash pulled up his hood and began to walk, unsure of his destination but filled with the determination to survive. He may not remember his past, but at least he had a purpose now, a goal: to one day go to Izumo.

* * *

A year later, Ash had been working at a diner in Midtown for a while and renting a small room upstairs from the owner. Thanks largely to his looks, he made good money from tips, but saving up was slow going. A plane ticket to Japan wasn’t cheap, and he needed money for a hostel and food too. Not to mention, he had to continue paying for rent and food and everything else in the meantime.

Regardless, Ash continued towards his goal, fueled by a drive from deep within himself. He wasn’t sure where it came from, but over time his desire to go to Izumo had turned into a need.

His thoughts continued to wander as he cleaned off the table recently vacated by his only customers in the diner. It was a slow Tuesday, and he was the only one working outside of the kitchen today.

Deciding to take his break now, Ash let the kitchen staff know to listen for the door and headed out back to get some fresh air. After only a couple of minutes, the cook came out to let him know there were customers, so he stood up with a sigh and headed back inside.

Ash spotted a couple in their thirties sitting in the booth next to the window. He grabbed two menus and headed over, sizing up the couple as he went. Sometimes he would flirt with the customers to get a bigger tip, but with couples, it was more likely to just start a fight, so he would keep it strictly professional today.

“Hi there, welcome to the Moonlight Diner,” Ash recited, placing their menus down as he spoke. He grabbed his notebook from his pocket and flipped to today’s specials. “Our soup of the day is tomato bisque, and our special is pork chops. Can I get you started with anything to drink?”

Ash looked up at the couple expectantly. However, he was not prepared to see the expressions of shock on both their faces, jaws dropped and eyebrows up. He wasn’t really sure what to do as the pair just stared at him.

The impasse was broken when the man jumped out of his seat and threw his arms around Ash in a bone-crushing hug. Normally, Ash would’ve fought tooth and nail to get out of this position. He did not enjoy physical contact with anyone really, especially strangers and especially older men.

But… for whatever reason, this man didn’t feel like a stranger or a threat. In fact, the hug felt almost… comforting. For just a second, it felt almost as if his big brother were hugging him. So rather than throwing him off, Ash just stood there, frozen to the spot.

After a few moments, the man finally loosened his embrace, pulling back in favor of holding Ash’s shoulders and looking him over with a concerned expression.

“Ash, what— where the hell have you been?! Are you alright? What— what are you doing here?” The taller stuttered, acting as if he’d seen a ghost. 

Ash stared back at the man before glancing over at the still-seated woman who looked about ready to cry.

“Who are you?” Ash replied, unsure what else to say. His mind was going a mile a minute trying to think how he might be connected to these two, but he kept coming up empty.

“What?” The man gaped at Ash before sharing a look with his partner. “Ash, it’s me, Max. Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten your old man, it’s only been a year, kid.” The man, Max, chuckled, trying to lighten the mood, but the humor didn’t show in his distressed expression.

Max. The name didn’t ring a bell, but he still felt somehow familiar to Ash. But clearly based on his joke, they had been close in the past. Judging by the timeline, they must’ve last seen him shortly before he ended up in the hospital.

‘I guess there were people looking for me after all,’ Ash mused, more than a little surprised.

But now, Ash had to decide what to say. He considered a few options: claiming mistaken identity, pretending he was joking and still remembered them, or just getting the hell out of here. Or… he could take a leap of faith and tell them the truth.

“A year ago, I woke up in the hospital with hardly any memories past age 8. I’m guessing I didn’t know you back then, huh?” Ash tried to project an air of confidence, but the truth was he was out of his depth in this conversation. He didn’t know where this might go.

“You don’t… remember… anything?” The woman up spoke for the first time, the look of shock never having left her face. “Not even Ei—“

“Jessica,” Max interrupted her, giving the slightest shake of his head. She looked like she wanted to argue with him but decided against it. “Well, my name is Max Lobo, and this is my wife Jessica. I was in Iraq with your brother, Griffin. You and I met a couple years back and uh… did some… _investigating_ together, I suppose.”

Ash had a few ideas about what he was referring to from the various articles he had read in the library during his time off work. But from the beginning, he had decided he may be better off not knowing everything about his past based on what little he had already learned, so he didn’t press Max further. If his memories came back, then that was that. But if not, then maybe it was for the best.

The other issue was whether or not Ash believed Max. He knew he should be cautious since the amnesia thing could easily be used to manipulate him, but his instincts told him that this was right and that he could trust them. And his instincts had never failed him before, as far as he knew at least.

“Well, I guess if my brother bothered to hang out with an old man like you, you can’t be that bad, huh?” Ash responded brazenly. The smirk on his face exuding a relaxed confidence, but his sharp eyes continued to search for any suspicious signs from the couple.

While Max’s face shifted to mildly offended, Jessica burst out laughing at the interaction.

“Guess you really are the same old Ash,” she quipped as she wiped the tears that finally fell from her cheeks. Max grumbled something about not even being that old, but neither could keep a smile from their face at seeing that Ash was still himself after all this time.

“But Ash, have you been in the city this whole time?” Max questioned, sitting back down in the booth as Ash grabbed a chair from another table. He placed the chair facing away from the table and sat in it backward, draping his arms over the chair back casually. There probably wouldn’t be any other customers before the dinner rush, and the owner wouldn’t be back before then either.

“Yeah, I guess I was in the hospital for a couple weeks, then after a month or so I got out I found a job here. And I rent a room upstairs from the owner. Just been saving up money.” Ash didn’t really do much else besides work. Sometimes he would wander the city to find the familiar feeling he always felt on the streets. Other times he would go to the library and read about Izumo and Japan.

“What are you saving up for?” asked Jessica.

“A trip.”

“A trip? Where?” Max prompted, clearly not expecting that answer.

Ash paused for a moment. He hadn’t actually told anyone this before. He knew it was strange to want to visit some small, relatively unknown city halfway around the world. But he had been honest so far, and his instincts told him to keep it up.

“Japan. Izumo, specifically.”

As soon as the word ‘Izumo’ slipped from Ash’s mouth, Max’s eyes widened to the size of saucers, and Jessica tried to cover her shocked gasp with a hand. Ash’s eyes narrowed, trying to read their responses. Clearly, the city meant something to them as well.

The couple made eye contact, seemingly having a silent conversation between them. Ash began to get annoyed before the two finally turned their attention back.

“Why… why Izumo?” Max asked with feigned nonchalance.

“I just- it was the only thing I could remember when I woke up… I’m not sure why it matters but I know it does. That— probably sounds crazy, huh?” Ash scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, not used to being so open and honest.

“No, it’s not crazy,” Jessica answered quickly, grabbing one of Ash’s hands with urgency. “It’s not crazy at all, it’s—” She was interrupted by the sound of the door opening and Ash jumping up to return to his work.

“Um, I’ll be back to take your order in a minute, let me know if you need anything else.” Ash slipped right back into his customer service persona with ease. He returned the chair to its table and turned around to greet the newly arrived customers.

After that, the dinner rush slowly began to pick-up. Ash was too busy to chat with the couple anymore despite not having got all the information he had hoped for (particularly about Izumo). The couple ordered, ate, and eventually left, waving goodbye with sad smiles as Ash poured coffee for a group of college students. He acknowledged them with a nod, surprised to feel a tug of sadness in his gut as he watched them go.

But Ash continued on working as if nothing had changed. As if he hadn’t just met two people from his previous mystery of a life who felt safe and trustworthy and even showed concern for him. He couldn’t let himself think about it. So instead he kept moving from one table to another, delivering food and taking orders and seating new customers.

When there was a lull in the orders, he headed to where Max and Jessica had been sitting to clear the table and collect the receipt. Ash began stacking the plates and wiping the table, spotting the receipt under the salt shaker.

He noticed a business card placed on top of the receipt and another paper sticking out from underneath. He picked up all three, first looking at the card. It read “Max Lobo, Freelance Journalist” in a fancy font with a phone number and e-mail address below. Turning it over, Ash found a note scrawled on the back:

Ash,

For your trip. Look up Okumura Photography when you’re there.

I think you’ll find what you’re looking for there.

-Max

Ash read the note over a couple times, brows furrowed in confusion. Then, he looked at the paper under the receipt and nearly dropped it in shock. He stood there, eyes wide, unable to fully comprehend what he was seeing.

It was a check

For $5,000.

For him.

‘For your trip.’

Ash was frozen to the spot in disbelief until a customer calling for him shook him from his stupor. He quickly collected everything from the table and took it to the kitchen, slipping the check and business card into his bag safely stashed behind the counter before heading to take another order.

The rest of his shift passed by quickly, and Ash had never been so relieved to finally lock the door at closing. He cleaned up with incredible speed and made his way upstairs to his room.

Opening his bag, Ash took out the check and business card rereading the note and inspecting the check again. He pushed aside any weird feelings he had about receiving this much money from someone who was still essentially a stranger to him and let one thought take over his mind.

He was going to Izumo.

* * *

Within two weeks, Ash had packed up his few belongings, taken all his savings out, and left his room and job behind. He wasn’t sure what he would do once he returned to the US, but he had no intention of coming back to the diner.

The next thing he knew, Ash was on the long flight to Tokyo. Then another shorter flight to Izumo.

As Ash stepped out of Izumo Airport into the cool March air, he breathed in the freshness of the ocean. With the salty ocean smell, he couldn’t help but think of his hometown on Cape Cod. But he didn’t dwell on the nostalgia, instead making his way down the street towards the hostel where he would be staying.

After successfully finding the small hostel a few blocks from the beach and checking in with minimal issues despite speaking very little Japanese, Ash headed down to the beach. He had always loved the ocean as a child, and it felt like forever since he had last been (not that he remembered when he had last been, of course).

Once he reached the sand, Ash walked along the beach until he found a quiet, secluded area of the beach. He sat on the concrete wall separating the beach from the infrastructure inland. For the next couple hours, Ash let his thoughts wander and eventually disappear as he gazed upon the ocean and the horizon, losing himself in the monotony of the waves.

Sometime after the sun had set but before the light had completely faded, Ash returned to the hostel, eating a small meal from the nearby convenience store before turning in for the night.

He fell asleep wondering what would come of tomorrow. After all, tomorrow was the day Ash would go to Okumura Photography. With any luck, his search for whatever it was exactly he was looking for would finally come to an end.

* * *

After waking from one of the most restful sleeps Ash had experienced in the past year, he found himself walking down the main street of Izumo. He scanned the shop names as he passed, searching for Okumura Photography as Max had instructed. While many of the shop names were written in both Japanese and English letters, some only had Japanese. Ash wasn’t sure if he would even be able to find the shop, let alone find what he was looking for there.

Luckily, after a few more minutes of walking, Ash spotted it. Across the street, a small storefront with a blue sign that read “奥村写真館 ー Okumura Photography” in white lettering.

Ash stared for a moment, steeling himself for whatever he would find, or not find, inside. He crossed the street with a determined look, hoping to have finally reached whatever destination he’s been bound for.

As soon as he reached the storefront, Ash yanked the door open with a bit more force than necessary and stepped inside. A bell on the door rang, announcing his arrival, and he paused at the entrance to take in the space. There was a reception desk directly in front of him, a few chairs to the side, and a small studio space to his left. Behind the desk was a door, presumably leading to a back room.

After a few moments, a high-pitched voice called out something in Japanese from the back, before a young woman came through the door behind the desk.

She looked quite startled to see him, so Ash guessed they either didn’t get many walk-ins or many foreigners.

It was at that moment that it struck him: he didn’t have a plan. He didn’t know why he was here. He didn’t know what to say. So Ash just stood there, staring.

“U-um, h-hello,” The woman began, saving Ash from his misery. “I- ah. I don’t know English. Please- uh, wait,” She continued with a heavy accent, clearly flustered. She bowed quickly before turning and scurrying away through the door to the back of the store. He heard muted voices speaking in Japanese before the door opened again to reveal the receptionist.

Behind her followed a young man with a bright smile across his face. But as soon as his eyes focused on Ash, his face froze and his smiling countenance slowly turned into one of shock.

Ash couldn’t take his eyes off the man. He felt so familiar. In his presence, Ash felt safe. Protected. And he felt… something more. Something deeper.

“Do I… know you?” Ash finally voiced the question swirling around in his mind after staring at one another for what may have been a few moments or a few hours.

The question seemed to jolt the Japanese man from his stupor, silent tears slowly beginning to roll down his face as he stepped out from behind the reception and slowly made his way towards Ash.

Ash couldn’t move. He couldn’t do anything but stare as the man approached him. The world around faded away as the man stopped in front of Ash, his face breaking into a smile as brown eyes met green.

“Ash. I never gave up. I never doubted I would see you again.” His voice was soft and kind, and Ash felt his breath catch in his throat. The Japanese man in front of him slowly wrapped his arms around Ash’s frozen body, pulling him close. “After all, my soul has always been with you.”

Those few words, whispered into Ash’s ear as he was held with so much care, triggered something in his mind.

As if the flood gates had lifted, his memories came rushing back one after another. Some good ones. Mostly bad ones.

Golzine. Griffin. Blanca. Skip. Shorter. Max.

_Eiji._

Ash’s legs gave out from under him, unable to support himself as he was overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught of memories. But Eiji didn’t let go. He held him tight, supported him, and comforted him just like he always had.

Ash wasn’t sure how much time had passed wrapped in Eiji’s arms. As he slowly became more aware of the world outside his head, he could feel his own wet cheeks and throat rubbed raw from crying.

He realized they were now kneeling, Eiji having lowered him to the ground when his legs gave out.

Ash took a deep breath. And then another. And another.

He grounded himself with the feel of Eiji’s arms around him. With the salty ocean scent of Eiji’s skin. With the constant beat of Eiji’s heart. With Eiji’s warmth. Eiji’s presence. With _Eiji_.

As if moving through water, Ash slowly managed to lift his arms and carefully wrap them around the older boy. He turned his face into the crook of Eiji’s neck, breathing deeply as he returned to reality.

“ _Eiji,”_ Ash whispered, voice rough and filled with pain and sadness and love. “I’m back.”

Eiji pulled away slightly so the two were face to face. He leaned in slowly, closing his eyes and gently pressing his soft lips to Ash’s thin ones. Ash returned the kiss a bit more desperately, gripping Eiji tightly as if he might slip away.

Eiji pulled away carefully, bringing his hand up to cradle his one and only soulmate’s cheek. Leaning forward so his forehead fell against Ash’s, Eiji closed his eyes, feeling completely at peace.

“Welcome home, Ash.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Please feel free to leave any thoughts/critiques/advice/etc in the comments :)


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